Los Angeles drivers face some of the most hazardous roadways in the United States. According to data compiled by the City of Los Angeles from Traffic Collision Reports citywide since 2010 — maintained on the LA Open Data Portal — certain streets account for a dramatically disproportionate share of all crashes. The situation has worsened in recent years: in 2023, traffic fatalities in Los Angeles reached a decade-high of 345 deaths, exceeding the city’s homicide count for the first time in recent memory. That grim trend has continued, with 303 traffic fatalities in 2024 and 290 in 2025 — each year still well above pre-pandemic levels.

Understanding which streets are the most dangerous — and why — can help you stay safer on the road. If you or a loved one has already been injured in a Los Angeles car accident, this information also helps illustrate the environment in which your crash occurred.

The 10 Most Dangerous Streets in Los Angeles

The following rankings are drawn from the City of Los Angeles Traffic Collision dataset, which compiles LAPD Traffic Collision Reports from 2010 to present. Collision totals reflect reported incidents through 2023; actual figures are higher because many crashes — particularly those without serious injury — go unreported.

Additional high-collision roadways just outside the top 10 include Olympic Boulevard, Pico Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard, Normandie Avenue, and Venice Boulevard — all of which appear on LADOT’s Vision Zero High Injury Network (HIN), the city’s map of corridors with the greatest concentration of pedestrian and cyclist deaths and serious injuries.

A Closer Look: Why Each Street Is So Dangerous

1. Western Avenue — The Most Dangerous Street in L.A.

Western Avenue stretches nearly 29 miles from San Pedro to Los Feliz, running through some of the most densely populated and economically stressed neighborhoods in South Los Angeles. The sheer length of the corridor — combined with dozens of major intersections, active transit stops, and high pedestrian foot traffic — makes it a consistent leader in crash counts. Vermont Avenue and Western Avenue are specifically called out in pedestrian safety analyses as having the highest walk-fatality concentrations in South L.A.

2. Ventura Boulevard — The Valley’s Most Hazardous Artery

Ventura Boulevard is the primary commercial spine of the San Fernando Valley, running more than 18 miles through communities including Sherman Oaks, Encino, and Woodland Hills. Dozens of driveways, parking lot entrances, and left-turn movements create constant conflict points. Rear-end collisions and left-turn crashes are the most common accident types on this stretch.

3. Sherman Way — East-West Valley Collision Corridor

Sherman Way spans the width of the Valley from Canoga Park to the North Hollywood area. Its nearly uninterrupted commercial development means frequent stops, pedestrian crossings, and driver inattention — a recipe for high crash frequency, particularly at signalized intersections.

4. Sepulveda Boulevard — Speed and Distance Hazards

Sepulveda Boulevard runs more than 40 miles, paralleling the 405 Freeway for much of its length. Higher posted speed limits and lane-change-heavy driving behavior make speed-related crashes especially common. The 2024 SWITRS data identified unsafe speed as a factor in approximately 3,363 crashes citywide — a pattern Sepulveda exemplifies.

5. Vermont Avenue — Pedestrian Danger Zone

Vermont Avenue runs 22 miles from Los Feliz to San Pedro and carries heavy pedestrian traffic through some of the city’s most walkable (and underserved) neighborhoods. The intersection of Vermont and Florence is independently identified as the single most dangerous intersection in Los Angeles, with 19 injury-producing crashes between 2020 and 2022 alone. Vermont Avenue appears on LADOT’s High Injury Network and consistently ranks among the city’s worst corridors for pedestrian fatalities.

6–10. Victory Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, Figueroa Street, Roscoe Boulevard, Vanowen Street

Each of these streets shares a common profile: long arterials with heavy daily volume, multiple major intersections, and a mix of vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic. Figueroa Street is notable for its high downtown concentration — Downtown L.A. recorded more total intersection crashes (937 between 2020 and 2023) than any other neighborhood in the city, even though it did not produce the single highest-ranked intersections. Sunset Boulevard‘s curving alignment west of Hollywood creates sight-line hazards that contribute to its high crash count.

What the Numbers Tell Us About L.A. Traffic Accidents

Several consistent patterns emerge from the collision data across these streets:

• Underreporting inflates the actual toll. LAPD is technically required to file a Traffic Collision Report whenever personal injury is involved — but in practice, officers often decline to respond to accident scenes even when drivers or passengers claim to be hurt. The collision counts above capture only a fraction of actual incidents.
• Length and volume are the biggest predictors. Every street in the top 10 is a major arterial with long corridors and dozens of cross-streets. More miles and more intersections equal more opportunities for crashes.
• Pedestrians and cyclists face elevated risk. Many of the highest-crash streets also carry heavy foot and bicycle traffic. Rear-end collisions made up 52% of all crashes in the 2024 SWITRS data — but it is the pedestrian strikes that produce the most severe injuries and deaths. Just 6% of L.A.’s 6,500 street miles account for 65% of all pedestrian and cyclist fatalities and serious injuries.
• Speed, red lights, stop signs, and cell phone use are the top contributing factors. LAPD Lt. Jesse Garcia, acting commanding officer of the West Traffic Division, identified these as the primary causes: “The top factors [in crashes]: speed, stop signs, cell phone, red lights, obeying posted signs. We’re not even talking about DUI.”
• Vision Zero has failed to deliver. The city’s Vision Zero initiative — launched in 2015 with the goal of eliminating traffic deaths by 2025 — has instead seen an 85% increase in fatalities since its inception. Traffic deaths now exceed homicides for three consecutive years (2023, 2024, 2025).

Most Dangerous Intersections on These Streets

High crash volume on a street is often driven by a handful of especially dangerous intersections. For a deeper analysis of specific intersection data in Los Angeles, see our post on the 25 most dangerous intersections in Los Angeles. The top-ranked intersections — including Vermont/Florence, Manchester/Normandie, and Victory/Lindley — are largely located on the same streets that appear in this article’s top 10.

Intersections concentrate risk because they are where the most common collision types occur: running red lights, failure to yield on left turns, and pedestrians in crosswalks being struck by turning vehicles. For more on the unique hazards of Los Angeles intersections, see our page on pedestrian accidents at intersections.

What to Do If You Are Injured on a Dangerous L.A. Street

Being injured in a car accident or pedestrian accident on any of these streets does not guarantee a straightforward insurance claim. Here is what matters most in the immediate aftermath:

• Call 911 even if LAPD declines to respond. Your call creates a record. Insist on a report number or request that a supervisor be dispatched if officers refuse to come out.
• Seek medical attention immediately. Traumatic brain injuries, internal injuries, and spinal injuries may not produce immediate symptoms. A medical evaluation creates the documentation your attorney will need.
• Document the scene. Photos of the vehicles, the road, any skid marks, traffic signals, and nearby intersections are critical. Note the exact cross-street or address.
• Do not speak with the other driver’s insurance company. Insurance adjusters for at-fault drivers are trained to minimize payouts. Direct all communications through your attorney.
• Contact a Los Angeles personal injury attorney promptly. California’s statute of limitations for car accidents is generally two years from the date of injury (CCP § 335.1). Claims involving government entities (such as roadway defect claims against the City of L.A.) may require a government tort claim within six months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Talk to a Los Angeles Car Accident Attorney

If you or someone you love was injured in an accident on one of these streets — or anywhere in Los Angeles — you deserve experienced legal representation. Steven M. Sweat has spent more than 30 years fighting for accident victims across Los Angeles, Orange County, and the surrounding counties. Our firm has recovered millions of dollars for clients injured in car accidents, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, and truck crashes on L.A.’s most dangerous roads.

Sources

• City of Los Angeles Traffic Collision Data (2010–Present), LA Open Data Portal
• LAPD / Crosstown LA: L.A. Traffic Fatalities 2022–2024
• KTLA / Crosstown LA: Most Dangerous Intersections in L.A. (October 2025)
• SWITRS / SafeTREC & UC Berkeley: 2024 Los Angeles Crash Statistics
• LADOT Vision Zero High Injury Network
• victimslawyer.com: The 25 Most Dangerous Intersections in Los Angeles (2026)